DRC Court Sentences 66 Soldiers to Death for Cowardice Amid Rebel Advances

A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced 66 Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) soldiers to death following convictions for cowardice, military mutiny, and disobeying orders.

The Goma Garrison Military Court, sitting in Walikale Centre, North Kivu Province, delivered the harsh verdicts after trying 71 service members. The accused troops were arrested in October following allegations that they abandoned their defensive positions and fled during intense engagements with the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), formerly known as the M23/AFC rebel alliance.

According to Maj Dieudonné Kasereka, communications officer for the 34th Military Region, prosecutors had sought the death penalty for 70 of the defendants. Out of the total group, 66 received the death sentence, while a sergeant received 10 years of hard labor due to mitigating circumstances. Four other defendants, including a regimental intelligence captain, were acquitted by the court.

Military authorities emphasized that the strict rulings are designed to enforce discipline within the ranks as security forces struggle to contain armed groups in eastern DRC. The region has seen multiple similar trials in recent years as government troops face rapid rebel advances.

Meanwhile, the security situation remains volatile. On Sunday, November 8, 2026, FRN rebels reportedly captured the strategic Bunyakiri Centre in Kalehe Territory, South Kivu Province, following clashes with government forces and allied Wazalendo fighters. The capture of Bunyakiri along National Road 3 threatens essential supply lines for troops on the front lines, further compounding the humanitarian crisis and displacement of civilians in North and South Kivu.

For more details on this development, read the original report on The Observer.